Electrical terminal with multiple sets of retaining fingers



ocr. 17, 1967 DE vwo 3,348,192

C. P. ELECTRICAL TERMINAL WITH MULTIPLE SETS OF RETAINING FINGERS Filed Aug. 2, 1965 INVENTOR. Hams P f l//ro MNM; w/ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,348,192 ELECTRICAL TERMINAL WITH MULTIPLE SETS F RETAINING FINGERS Charles P. De Vito, Park Ridge, lll., assigner to Alcon Metal Products, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Ang. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 476,340 6 Claims. (Cl. 339-258) ABSTRACT GF THE DISCLOSURE A solder well terminal has a tubular body open at one end and with a irst set of tapered lingers extending from the opposite end toward a stem carrying a hood overlying the lingers. Inter-mediately the body has an outwardly projecting annular shoulder rib with a second set of tapered lingers extending therefrom convergently toward the stem and each struck in'part .from the body and in part from a respective one of the lirst set of lingers.

The present invention relates to improvements in electrical terminals of the solder lug type and more particularly concerns improvements in that variety of such terminals including gripping lingers lfor retaining electrical leads to be soldered to the terminals. This sort of connector or lug 4may also be referred to as a solder well terminal.

Prior electrical connectorsof the solder well type comprising wire-gripping lingers have had serious disadvantages among which may be mentioned diliiculties in fabricating and thus und-ue manufacturing cost,'diiculties in elfecting adjustments to accommodate variable gauges of wire, unduly critical tolerance requirements, lack of positivecontrol upon the length of wire terminal received in the connector, etc.

InV my copending Patent No. 3,209,312, issued Sept. 28, 1965, is disclosed au electrical connector which provides a substantial improvement overcoming Vthe various shortcomings of the prior art suggested hereinabove. By the present' invention additional improvements have been effected as will become apparent.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector which can be produced elliciently, at low cost to function reliably and efliciently and which has an especially eliicient wire gripping arrangement comprising multiple sets of -gripping lingers. l

' Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector of the solder well variety haw'ng not only an ellicient arran-gement of primary retaining prongs or lingers and stop-means, but also a secondary set of retaining prongs or linger Y A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved solder well terminal structure having improved means for access of solder to lead wires engaged therein.

Still another object of the 'invention is to provide a new and improved solder well terminal having successive sets of gripping lingers.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved solder'well terminal provided with an integral stop cap or hood on a stem portion .provided with aJ new and improved reinforcing and backup structure.

Other objects, features and 'advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary plan View of a connector 12 and between the 3,348,192 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 strip or panelshowing a plurality of connectors thereon embodying features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational View of one of the connectors;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the connector;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a stamped sheet metal blank from which one of the connectors is adapted to be made;

FIGURE 5 is a Vplan view of the blank after being further worked; and

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of the connector after it has been partially completed.

An electrical connector 10 of the kind referred to as a solder lug or well is especially adapted to be mounted on a strip or panel of self-sustaining, rigid or semi-,rigid insulating material 11 (FIGURES 1, 2 and. 3), and to receive Velectrical leads or wires to be connected in desired electrical circuits. It will be understood that although the connector 10 may be made in any desirable size, it is shown for illustrative purposes greatly enlarged from the usual commercial sizes for this type of connector. Y For connection to the supporting panel 11, the connector 10V comprises a substantially rigid, hollow, tubular body 12 which is engageable to a suitable aperture in the mounting panel 11. Intermediate its length, the body 12 has an annular reinforcing and seating rib shoulder bulge 13 to engage one side of the mounting panel 11 about the connector-receiving opening therein, with a substantial length of the body extending throughthe opening. On the free end of the body 12 a suitable plurality of bendable retaining lugs 14 is provided normally extending axially in the peripheral plane of the body but adapted to be bent over, as shown in dash outline inFIGURE 2, to clamp the mounting panel 11 between the shoulder 13 and the bent over lugs 14.

4At its opposite end, the tubular body 12 has a plurality o r first set of integral tapered, converging, wire-gripping prongs or fingers 15, preferably four in'number, cooperating with and preferably converging toward a back, upstanding integral stem portion 17 somewhat longer than the lingers 15. For gripping a wire or bundle of wires thrust froml the base end of the body 12 into the connector, the gripping lingers 15 converge toward their points and toward and in closely opposing relation to the stem 17 and with their side edges substantially contiguous to one another, as is clearly shown in FIGURES 1 and 3.

wire beyond the grip-- head ange 18 is car- To limit projection of the "lead ping tipsof the lingers 15, a stop ried integrally on the end of the stem 17 adjacent to and 1n opposing overlying spaced relation to the gripping point tips of the lingers 15 and desirably comprises a substantiallyrcircular disk. Lateral escape of lead wires which have been stopped to a limited over-travel by engage-v spreading apart of ment with the stop head ange 18 and the lingers beyond a limited distance is prevented by a hood skirt ange 19 preferably integral with the front` circularly tubularly to and slightly beyond such end of the rib. When a lead wire is thrust endwise through the open end of the body rib 21 and the tips of the fingers 15 wire against the crown 3 and past the tips, the lead wire will be diverted by the rib into gripping engagement by the finger tips. Stiffness of the base portion of the stem 17 against the bending relative to the body 12 is afforded by virtue of the rib 21 extending beyond the base end of the stem substantially into the adjacent portion of the body.

Substantial improvement in the retention of lead wire or wires in the connector is afforded by the provision of a second additionalV set of elongated generally triangular pointed gripping prongs or fingers 22 each of which is desirably struck in part from the body 12` and in part from a respective one of the fingers 15, substantially as shown. At their base end the substantially triangular fingers 22 join andV extend from the reinforcing and shoulder rib 13. Thence the gripping fingers 22 converge toward the stem 17, and more particularly the longitudinal reinforcing rib 21, having their tips contiguous to the rib and to one another, thereby providing the primary gripping fingers or prongs for a wire or bundle of Wires thrust into assembly within the connector, while the gripping fingers 1-5 which extend from the end of the body 12 comprise thev secondary gripping set'. Thus, wires assembled with the connector are retained by a two-stage gripping finger system. Where one or more wires of a bundle of wire endsv assembled into the connector may be shorter than others, it will be apparent that the primary set of fingers 22 will assure gripping and retention'therey of even though they may notV be additionally gripped by the retaining fingers 15 into retaining engagement with which the longer wires may, and preferably are thrust; As a result the'lead wire or wires assembled with the connector will be efiiciently and positively retained against withdrawal.

After the electrical wires have been assembled with the connector 10, or a plurality of the connectors, asmounted on'the supporting panel 11, pot or dip soldering is generally resorted to for permanently fastening the wires to the connectors. For this purpose, theA strike out openings 23left in the body 12 and the fingers 15 incident to lanc-V ing and striking the retaining fingers 22 therefrom afford substantial advantage in improving the entrance of molten solder into the-enclosure defined by the'convergentlyrelated retaining fingers 15 which at least for smallerV gaugesv or smaller bundles of wire may not be spreadi apart to any appreciable extent by the bulk of the Wire. Not only is entranceor access of the molten solder improved, but drainage of surplus solder on removal of'the assembly from the dip is improved.

In-FIGURES 4, 5 and 6` certain illustrative steps or stages` in the making of the terminal 10 from flat sheet metal strip stock such as brass of suitable gauge are depicted. In FIGURE 4 the blank is shown stampedto provide the complete outline of the connector including` the body portion 12, the retaining fingers 15, the stem 17, the stop'crown 18, the-skirt flange 19 with its terminal portions 20, and the reinforcing rib 21. In FIGURE 5 the shoulder rib 13 has been pressed into the body 12', the

clamping terminals 14 have been blanked out, the fingers 22'have been struck out, the fingers 15 have been bent at their bases relative to the body 12 for subsequentv convergence, and'the terminal portions 20V of the hood structure are bent up. In FIGURE 6 the body 12 has been bent into the tubular form, bringing the sets of fingers 15 andl 22 into' their convergent relation to each other in each set and to the stem 17, and the hood skirt 19 has been bent into its normal relation to the crown flange 18. Finally, the crown fiange 18 is bent at its connection with the stem 17 into overlying relation to the retaining fingers and the terminals 20 are bentl into clasping relation to the back of the stem 17, to complete the connector, ready for installation.

It will be-understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from'the scope of the -novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention; z

1. In a solder well terminal, of the character described:

a tubular body having a first set of convergently related retaining fingers thereon,

means for securing the body to a supporting member and providing an opening into the body for reception of an electrical lead to be secured in assembly within the connector and gripped by said fingers, and

a second set of retaining fingers each struck in part from the body and in part from a respective one of said first set of fingers and converging toward the interior of the enclosure provided by the body and said first set of fingers and retainingly engageable first in order with a'lead wire thrustingly assembled into the tubular body through said opening for assembly with the connector, said body and the first set of fingers having strike out openings afforded by said second set offingers to facilitate dip soldering. 2. In an electrical connector of the character described:

a tubular body having an intermediate annular out- Y wardly projecting peripheral reinforcing and stop4 shoulder rib,

a first set of retaining prong fingers convergently re-y lated and extending from one end of said body, and a second set of convergently related prong retaining fingers each struck in part from the body and in part from a respective one of said first set of fingers and extending angularly from said rib inthe direction as said vfirst set of fingers.

3. An electrical connector of theV solder well typeV a set of tapered retainingY fingers each struck inpart.

from said body and in part from a respective one of said plurality of retaining fingers and converging in the same direction as said plurality of retaining fingers and toward said stem, Y l whereby a lead wire thrust endwise into said body through said loneiend is gripped first between said stem and the tips of said struckout fingers and is then engaged grippingly by said plurality of retaining fingers and will then be stopped to a limited over-travel by engagement within said hood.

4. An electrical connector of the solder well typeV having:

a tubular body open at'one wires therein,

a plurality of elongated tapered retaining fingers on and projecting from the opposite end of said body,

a stem on the body and projectingV fromsaid opposite end in the same direction as said fingers, said fingers having tips thereon converging' in wire-retaining relation toward said stern,

end'to receive or more lead.

said stem carrying a stop hood overlying said fingers, Y

a set of tapered retainingfingers Veach struck in part from said body and in part from a respective one of said plurality of retaining fingers and having tips thereon converging in the same direction as said plu-r rality of retaining fingers and toward said stem, and an elongated reinforcing rib pressed inwardly in' said stem adjacent to and in opposing relation to the tips of allof said fingers and cooperative with the finger tips for retainingly engaging a wire, whereby a lead wire thrust endwise into said body through said one end enters successively into engagement between said rib and the tipsof said fingers and willbe Same.

5. An electrical connector of the solder well type having:

a tubular body open at one end to receive one or more lead wires therein,

a plurality of elongated tapered retaining fingers on and projecting from the opposite end of said body,

a stem on the body and projecting from said opposite end in the same direction as said lingers,

said fingers having tips thereon converging in wire-retaining relation toward said stem,

said stern having a stop hood overlying said fingers, and

an elongated reinforcing rib pressed inwardly in said stem and said body and having one end thereof adjacent to said finger tips and with the finger tips closely opposing the stem in overlying relation to and slightly beyond the adjacent end of said rib so as to cooperate with said finger tips for retainingly engaging a wire,

whereby a lead wire thrust endwise into said body through said one end, between said rib and said finger tips, and past said tips and rib will be diverted by said rib into gripping engagement by said finger tips and stopped to a limited over-travel by engagement within said hood.

6. An electrical connector of the solder well type having:

a tubular body open at one end to receive one or more lead wires therein, a plurality of elongated tapered retaining fingers on and projecting from the opposite end of said body, a stem on the body and projecting from said opposite end in the same direction as said fingers,

said lingers having tips thereon converging in Wire-retaining relation toward said stern,

said stem having a stop hood overlying said fingers, an elongated reinforcing rib pressed inwardly in said stem and having one end thereof adjacent to and in such opposing relation to said finger tips as to cooperate with said nger tips for retainingly engaging a wire,

an intermediate annular reinforcing and stop shoulder rib on said tubular body, and

a set of elongated tapered retaining fingers each struck in part from said body and in part from a respective one of said plurality of retaining fingers and having their base ends on said rib and having tips thereon converging in the same direction as said plurality of retaining fingers and with said last-mentioned tips contiguous to said elongated rib for first retaining engagement with a lead wire thrust endwise into said body through said one end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,085,707 6/1937 Shore 339-258 2,830,278 4/ 1958 Schwarz 339-275 X 2,917,723 12/1959 Gluck 339-194 3,156,517 ll/1964 Maximof et al. 339-275 X 3,209,312 9/1965 De Vito 339-275 3,286,221 11/1966 Blakesley 339-258 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,044,204 11/ 1958 Germany.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

P. TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

2. IN AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED: A TUBULAR BODY HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE ANNULAR OUTWARDLY PROJECTING PERIPHERAL REINFORCING AND STOP SHOULDER RIB, A FIRST SET OF RETAINING PRONG FINGERS CONVERGENTLY RELATED AND EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID BODY, AND A SECOND SET OF CONVERGENTLY RELATED PRONG RETAINING FINGERS EACH STRUCK IN PART FROM THE BODY AND IN PART FROM A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID FIRST SET OF FINGERS AND EXTENDING ANGULARLY FROM SAID RIB IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID FIRST SET OF FINGERS. 